Students need the internet to complete research and do projects; it is a must have. Unfortunately, It can also be an unsafe place. The good news is that there are ways to make it safer and more secure for our students. Here are some resources that you can use:
Common Sense Education has a K - 12 scope and sequence Digital Citizenship Curriculum and lesson plans you can download. Once you create an account you can import classes. This site also has many interactive games students can play that reinforce internet safety and digital citizenship. The curriculum is based on Howard Gardner's research with the Good Play Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This site also has Professional Development for teachers and Family Education Resources.
This site teaches kids to identify bullying/cyberbullying and how to stand up to it safely. This is important because many kids know they are being bullied but don't know how to advocate for themselves and are afraid to stand up for themselves. This site has resources for students, families, schools, and even has laws that are searchable by your state.
This United Kingdom site is divided by age groups (5-7, 8-10, 11-14, parents/carers, and those that work with children). The sections for youth starts on the premise that kids this age already know quite a bit about the internet. There are tabs for "how to have fun", "how to stay in control", and "how to report". There is also a cyber cafe with interactive resources and games that reinforce internet safety. The sections for adults have sections that are pretty scary, but unfortunately, we adults need to know about. This site is particularly empowering because they have a poll where kids can offer their own ideas on how to help others be more safe online and ways to make this site even better.
This site has safety tips to help kids surf the internet safely. Lesson plans, materials, a brochure, quizzes, safety tips, Internet Slang, dangers and protection are all included on this huge site. Lesson plans are divided by grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. There are even quizzes for parents so they can evaluate how well they are keeping their children safe on the internet.
This site is sponsored by Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and has interactive games for kids ages 8-10. Students take on the role of a Webonaut and complete a series of missions that teach them about issues that are central to good citizenship: identity, privacy, credibility and web safety. Scenarios are for both online and offline situations. Resources for parents and teachers to get safety conversations started are included.
Created by the National Crime Prevention Council, this site has ready to go programs with resources so you can set up you own Internet Safety Program at your school. Make this a program at at PTA meeting or an evening program to inform parents. There are many other resources on this site including podcasts, tip sheets, and resources and plans for school-wide safety, and preventing school violence.
This is a BreakOut EDU game that teaches internet safety skills. You need a BreakOut Box with the some locks and the internet to play this game. A four-digit lock, four-letter lock, a color lock, and a directional lock are needed. This is super creative looks like it is lots of fun!
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